Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Resident asks city to release ethics opinion after mayor voted on housing-authority property transfer
Summary
A Florence resident asked the council to release a South Carolina Ethics Commission opinion after Mayor Barnes voted on a prior conveyance of city property to the Florence Housing Authority, which is led by her sibling, citing state recusal rules.
Suzanne LaRochelle, a Florence resident and licensed psychotherapist, told the City Council she wants the city to release the written opinion from the South Carolina Ethics Commission after she questioned Mayor Barnes' participation in an earlier vote to convey city-owned property to the Florence Housing Authority.
LaRochelle said the council voted on Bill 2025-28 on Aug. 11 to transfer property to the housing authority, where Dr. Al Bradley, a sibling of Mayor Barnes, is the paid executive director. LaRochelle said she submitted a request to speak to the council on Aug. 22 and sought clarification on recusal procedures, disclosure, and minute documentation under South Carolina law. She said she did not allege a violation but asked for transparency.
City attorney Scott told the council and LaRochelle before her remarks…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
